


At the Death

by MrProphet



Category: Discworld - Terry Pratchett, The Sandman (Comics)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-22
Updated: 2017-04-22
Packaged: 2018-10-22 12:43:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 339
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10697265
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MrProphet/pseuds/MrProphet





	At the Death

This is the way the world ends; not with a bang, but with a whisper. Death looked out into the darkness, the emptiness. She knew that it was all over, but she was not troubled by that. She had always known that it would come to this.

“Turn out the lights,” she whispered to herself, reaching up to extinguish the last two points of brilliant blue light that…

Unexpectedly, her fingers touched bone.

A voice like leaden tombstones rattling at the bottom of a limitless void said: EXCUSE ME.

“Oh,” she said. “Excuse me.”

WELL, the hooded figure said. He swung the scythe down from his shoulder and leaned on it thoughtfully. THIS IS… AWKWARD.

“Isn’t it just.”

Death pushed back his hood and scratched his skull. SO, UH…

“Yeah.” Death ruffled her own shaggy mane of dark hair. She sat down on the air and kicked her heels impatiently.

I PRESUME THAT ONE OF US MUST BE HERE ON OFFICIAL BUSINESS, Death noted. AS IT WERE.

“Yes, but which of us is  _on_  business and which of us  _is_  business. I don’t think I’m here for you; do you have my timer?”

The skull shook. I HAVE ONLY MY OWN.

SQUEAK.

AND HIS.

“Well, that doesn’t help then.”

WHAT DO WE DO?

“I… don’t know.” She shrugged. “Toss a coin for it?”

HEADS OR TAILS? Death asked.

“Tails.”

The skeletal hand withdrew a coin from beneath his cloak and flipped it into the air. He caught it and held it up to examine it.

“Well? Is it heads or tails?”

Death looked at her with a level gaze that only she could have read. SOME SORT OF DANCING RABBIT, he replied.

“And the other side?”

ANOTHER DANCING RABBIT. THIS ONE HAS A HAT.

“Well, I refuse to call ‘dancing rabbit with hat’. I’d feel ridiculous.” Death held out her hand. “Rock, paper, scissors?” she suggested.

He nodded. She counted three and they each held out a hand.

HMM, he noted dryly. DOES SCYTHE BEAT ANKH OR VICE VERSA?


End file.
